A Savior At the Grocery Store
"Numbly, I left my husband, Marty, at the hospital where I had been visiting two of my children and headed for the grocery store. Since it was eleven p.m., I drove to the only store I knew was open twenty-four hours a day. I turned my car motor off and rested my head against the seat. What a day, I thought to myself. With two of my young children in the hospital, and a third waiting at Grandma's, ... posted on Jul 08 2012, 6,216 reads

Texting That Saves Lives
Teenagers in the U.S. send an average of 3,339 text messages per month. What happened when Nancy Lublin, the CEO and Chief Old Person at DoSomething.org, started texting 200,000 teens across America? They texted back -- about their own problems, from bullying to depression to abuse. In this passionate TED talk, Nancy describes how this birthed a crisis text hotline which has helped thousands of te... posted on Jul 07 2012, 3,614 reads

20 Amazing Photos From Outer Space
As humans have begun to explore the mysteries of outer space, both by sending unmanned probes and physically traveling beyond the Earth's atmosphere, a vast number of amazing pictures have been collected. Often photographs of outer space are recorded for the purposes of science, but are also often breathtakingly beautiful images revealing the wonders of the universe. This post brings together 20 o... posted on Jul 06 2012, 0 reads

5 Principles for Inner Transformation at Work
"People go to work to sustain themselves and produce value in the world. Yet work environments can also be stressful, filled with challenging responsibilities and personalities, and feel misaligned with our most deeply cherished values. Instead of sustaining us, the workplace can sometimes feel simply draining, and at worst, unwholesome for both ourselves and the world...is there a path for heart ... posted on Jul 05 2012, 13,659 reads

Are You Training Yourself To Fail?
"'Did you get done what you wanted to get done today?' Eleanor, my wife, asked me. 'Not really,' I said. She laughed. 'Didn't you write the book on getting done what you want to get done?' Some people are naturally pre-disposed to being highly productive. They start their days with a clear and reasonable intention of what they plan to do, and then they work diligently throughout the day, sticking ... posted on Jul 04 2012, 24,884 reads

A Refugee Turned Social Entrepreneur
Amber Chand is an entrepreneur in the United States with a unique business model: "She scans the headlines for conflicts around the world and responds. "I swoop in and then identify a group of talented, skilled artisan women who live there [in conflict zones] and who are clearly going to have to rebuild their lives in the shadow of either war or genocide or civil strife," she explains. The Amber C... posted on Jul 03 2012, 4,428 reads

One Student's Unforgettable Graduation Gift
Brenna Martin's dad evidently doesn't like last-minute shopping. Bryan Martin purchased a gift for his daughter's high school graduation -- which happened earlier this month -- thirteen years ago. He managed to keep it hidden this whole time, and his "moving, touching, nostalgic, and thoughtful" present (her words) brought Brenna to tears when dad finally gave it to her last week.... posted on Jul 02 2012, 28,628 reads

What I've Learned About Learning
"I'm a lifelong learner and am always obsessively studying something, whether that's breadmaking or language or wine or chess or writing or fitness. Here are two key lessons -- both really the same lesson -- I've learned about learning, in all my years of study and in trying to teach people: Almost everything I've learned, I didn't learn in school; and almost everything my students (and kids) have... posted on Jul 01 2012, 21,560 reads

What A Plant Knows
"As I was planting my seasonal crop of tomatoes last month, a good friend (and my personal gardening guru) informed me that they liked their leaves rubbed, "like petting a pet's ears," which I received with equal parts astonishment, amusement, and mild concern for my friend. But, as Tel Aviv University biologist Daniel Chamovitz reveals in What a Plant Knows: A Field Guide to the Senses (public li... posted on Jun 30 2012, 15,018 reads

The Business 9 Women Kept Secret For 30 Years
"Somewhere in West Tennessee, not far from Graceland, nine women -- or "The 9 Nanas," as they prefer to be called -- gather in the darkness of night. At 4am they begin their daily routine -- a ritual that no one, not even their husbands, knew about for 30 years. Over the next three hours, The 9 Nanas (who all consider themselves sisters, despite what some of their birth certificates say) will whip... posted on Jun 29 2012, 1,769,616 reads